Within the family of Cistaceae, Cistus forms a genus of 18 to 20 species. The evergreen subgenus Cistus creticus L. ssp. eriocephalus reaches a height of up to 1 m and smells aromatic. Its egg-shaped lanceolate leaves show an alternate pattern, while its flowers have five petals and a radial symmetry, which is characteristic for the whole family. The light pink, pink, or light purple colors are typical for the subtype. Preferred habitat is the eastern Mediterranean region.
Folk medicinal usages have been versatile and ranged from being used as adjuvant for topical, allergy-related itching, as well as for preventing and managing wounds caused by bacterial infections and mycosis. Traditionally, aqueous decoctions from the aerial plant parts from spring have been used for this. Similarly have recent publications reported about the successful usage of Cistus solutions for the treatment of neurodermititis (AD), acne vulgaris, as well as for treating inflammatory diseases of the mouth and throat. Cistus is also well-known for its usage as tea (e.g. Cystus® Bio Teekraut). Recommended dose here is 2.5 g of Cistus incanus for 1 liter of hot water. According to our analysis, up to 1 g of dissolved extractives with ca. 16% polyphenols can thus be ingested. Other providers of Cistus, who give no detailed information on the species, obtain their raw material from wild collectings, which in consequence lead to unsteady results in both, extractives (0.7-1.5 g), as well as polyphenol contents (11-21%). Such, not-standardized mixtures represent the natural polymorphism of the plant and offer no basis for the manufacturing of a standardized plant extract.
A detailed specification of the varieties and/or subspecies has only recently become urgently necessary and relevant because of a legal distinction in the plant varieties' rights (PVR) between Cistus incanus L. ssp. Pandalis®, or the brand name Cystus®, and Cistus creticus L. ssp. eriocephalus (also known as Cistus incanus L. ssp. tauricus). It is very difficult to distinguish between the different types, especially for persons lacking expert knowledge.